Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

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Updated 2 min 38 sec ago
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Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

Protestors wave Palestinian flags on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 29, 2024 in New York. (AFP)
  • Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university’s student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism

NEW YORK: Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school’s main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year.

A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement.

The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump’s administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023.

Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university’s student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism.

“Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community,” the university said Tuesday. “And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution’s fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.”

It did not disclose the names of the students who were disciplined.

Columbia in May said it would lay off nearly 180 staffers and scale back research in response to the loss of funding. Those receiving nonrenewal or termination notices represent about 20 percent of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said.

A student activist group said the newly announced disciplinary action exceeds sentencing precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, something some students will refuse to do.

“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement.

Columbia was at the forefront of US campus protests over the war in spring 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cut funding to several top US universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.

The administration has also cracked down on individual student protesters. Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident with no criminal record, was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

 


Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities

Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities
Updated 31 sec ago
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Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities

Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities
  • 40 Palestinian students offered scholarships but cannot travel without biometric data
  • Gaza’s only UK-licensed biometrics center closed in October 2023

LONDON: Government ministers in the UK are facing renewed pressure to help 40 students in Gaza who were offered full scholarships to study at British universities, The Guardian reported.

The students, however, are unable to take their university places set to begin in September because of government bureaucracy.

The UK Home Office on Tuesday reportedly held a high-level meeting on the issue after MPs and campaigners demanded urgent action to help the students.

They demanded that the government take immediate steps to secure the students’ safe passage to Britain, following warnings that some Palestinians students had been killed while waiting for British university spots.

Others are also in constant danger amid Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.

A key hindrance affecting the students is a Home Office requirement to use biometric data for visa applications, campaigners have said.

The only UK-authorized biometrics center in Gaza closed in October 2023 and the students cannot travel to similar centers in neighboring countries.

Campaigners and MPs are calling on the government to issue a biometrics deferral and help the students navigate a safe route to a third country to complete their visa applications and travel onward to Britain.

Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy have already helped evacuate students with university positions in their countries, said Dr. Nora Parr, a Birmingham University researcher campaigning for the students.

“The students who studied, took TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) tests, wrote admissions essays and did virtual campus interviews under the most horrendous conditions imaginable — many from tent homes and makeshift Wi-Fi hubs — now must wait for a government decision,” she added.

“To not act is to decide to leave them without these hard-earned educational opportunities.”

Any response is also likely to be shaped by a government immigration white paper released earlier this year that signaled an intention to reduce international student numbers at British universities, Parr said.

“This, combined with the government’s tough stance on immigration, and absence of direct support for Palestine, has left these students in the most dire limbo.”

Among the campaigning group is the University and College Union, which represents 125,000 education workers.

Its general secretary, Jo Grady, urged the home secretary in a letter to “expedite the process” of evacuating the Palestinian students and ensuring “all these young Palestinians make it to our seminar rooms and lecture halls for the start of the academic year.”

The Palestinians students have secured spots at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Edinburgh and University College London.

They are enrolled in subjects including dental public health, data science and genomic medicine.

One student, Soha, a 31-year-old, is hoping to complete a doctorate in nursing and health research at the University of Ulster.

“As a midwife living and working in Gaza, I have witnessed the unimaginable: mothers giving birth under fire, newborns taking their first breath in shelters, and health professionals struggling to provide care with little more than courage and commitment.”

She told The Guardian: “We need them (the British government) to be faster making the decisions that we are waiting for.

“Give us the biometric waiver that we want and facilitate our safe passage. We are running out of time. I carry with me the hopes of countless women and colleagues back in Gaza. When I return, I plan to lead maternal health research in Palestine.”

A government spokesperson told The Guardian: “We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support.”


UK PM facing mounting pressure to recognize Palestinian state

UK PM facing mounting pressure to recognize Palestinian state
Updated 28 min 1 sec ago
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UK PM facing mounting pressure to recognize Palestinian state

UK PM facing mounting pressure to recognize Palestinian state
  • Several ministers have reportedly raised the issue at Cabinet meetings in recent months
  • Health secretary makes rare declaration in House of Commons calling for Palestinian recognition

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from his ministers to recognize a Palestinian state amid global condemnation of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

A number of senior ministers in Starmer’s Cabinet have reportedly pushed the prime minister to take a leading international role in recognition at meetings in recent months, The Guardian reported.

The UK has long pledged to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a formal peace process between Palestinians and Israel, but only in tandem with other Western countries. The government, however, has reportedly suffered from a growing sense of desperation after the Israeli military killed scores of starving Palestinians queuing at food aid sites in Gaza.

One minister said: “We say that recognizing Palestinian statehood is a really important symbol that you can only do once. But if not now, then when?”

Almost 60 MPs from the ruling Labour Party earlier this month demanded that the UK immediately recognize Palestine as a state.

This came after Israel’s defense minister revealed plans to force all Gaza residents into a camp in the now-destroyed city of Rafah in the south of the strip.

French President Emmanuel Macron told the British Parliament on a visit this month that the two-state solution was “the only way” to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict and bring regional peace.

Diplomats have said that Macron is facing resistance from allies in Britain and Canada over his position, however.

Later this month, a planned conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France will take place in New York City, aimed at rallying international support for the two-state solution.

The UK will “play its part” in a solution, David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, has said.

“We said we wanted that to be part of a process. But we have had no process. What we have had is mayhem and conflict. There has been no process to attach that recognition to,” he told the BBC on Tuesday.

“Why do we say that? It’s because we don’t just want to recognize symbolically, we want to recognize as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time,” he added.

“But there is a live debate and discussion, and let me restate again my belief in two states, and two states in which Palestinians have their dignity and freedom, and Israel has its security for its people. We will do all we can to achieve that in time.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting made a declaration in the House of Commons on Tuesday, calling for Palestinian recognition “while there’s still a state of Palestine left to recognize.”

It followed an Israeli attack on the staff residence of the World Health Organization in Gaza.

“I deplore Israel’s attacks on healthcare workers as well as other innocent civilians trying to access healthcare or vital aid,” he said.

“These actions go well beyond legitimate self-defense and undermine the prospects for peace.” 

Streeting is believed to be among the ministers who have pushed for recognition of Palestine. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Northern Ireland State Secretary Hilary Benn have also reportedly raised the issue.


Pacific nation ponders taking asylum seekers from US

Pacific nation ponders taking asylum seekers from US
Updated 27 min 9 sec ago
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Pacific nation ponders taking asylum seekers from US

Pacific nation ponders taking asylum seekers from US
  • Whipps’ office told AFP on Wednesday the proposal was still under consideration by the nation’s powerful Council of Chiefs
  • “A meeting was held last week. So far no decision has come out of that meeting,” a spokesman said

SYDNEY: The United States is looking to send asylum seekers to the sparsely populated volcanic isles of Palau, the small South Pacific nation said Wednesday.

Scattered about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the Philippines, tropical Palau has long been one of the United States’ closest allies in the Pacific.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr last week received a request from Washington to accept “third-country nationals seeking asylum in the United States,” his office said in a statement.

Whipps’ office told AFP on Wednesday the proposal was still under consideration by the nation’s powerful Council of Chiefs, an advisory body of traditional leaders.

“A meeting was held last week. So far no decision has come out of that meeting,” a spokesman said.

US President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants, saying the country had been “inundated” by unwanted arrivals.

He signed an executive order in January — titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” — that suspended admissions for countless refugees seeking haven in the United States.

Key details of the proposed deal between Palau and the United States were not immediately clear, such as how many asylum seekers it would cover, or what Palau may get in return.

“Based on the most recent draft agreement, Palau would have full discretion to decide whether or not to accept any individuals, and all actions would be consistent with our constitution and laws,” the Palau president’s office said in a statement.

US Ambassador Joel Ehrendreich was present at a meeting of senior officials to discuss the request, according to photos published last week by the Palau president’s office.

The United States has reportedly considered dispatching asylum seekers to the likes of El Salvador, Libya and Rwanda.

With some 20,000 people spread across hundreds of volcanic isles and coral atolls, Palau is by population one of the smallest countries in the world.

The Pacific microstate could find it difficult to deny Washington’s request.

Palau gained independence in 1994 but allows the US military to use its territory under a longstanding “Compact of Free Association” agreement.

In return, the United States gives Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary support and assumes responsibility for its national defense.

The United States Embassy in Palau did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Since coming to power in 2021, Whipps has overseen the expansion of US military interests in Palau.

This has included the ongoing construction of a long-range US radar outpost, a crucial early warning system as China ramps up military manuevers in the Taiwan Strait.

Palau is one of the few remaining countries to recognize Taiwan’s claim to statehood.


German toddler dies after water slide fall in Croatia

German toddler dies after water slide fall in Croatia
Updated 43 min 22 sec ago
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German toddler dies after water slide fall in Croatia

German toddler dies after water slide fall in Croatia
  • The circumstances of the accident were being investigated
  • The little girl slipped from her father’s arms on the slide at the aquapark in Lopar

ZAGREB: A German toddler died after falling from a water slide on Croatia’s northern island of Rab, police and media said Wednesday.

After the accident, on Tuesday afternoon, the child was flown from Rab to the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka for treatment, but doctors could not save her, said a police statement.

The circumstances of the accident were being investigated, the statement added.

A police spokeswoman told AFP that the child was a toddler.

Local media reported that the little girl slipped from her father’s arms on the slide at the aquapark in Lopar, and fell on the concrete surface.

Germans are the main tourists among more than 20 million who visit Croatia annually, heading mostly to its pristine Adriatic coast.


Greece mulls water-saving moves as heatwave intensifies

Greece mulls water-saving moves as heatwave intensifies
Updated 48 min 45 sec ago
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Greece mulls water-saving moves as heatwave intensifies

Greece mulls water-saving moves as heatwave intensifies
  • Mitsotakis said the cabinet had discussed plans to make water companies more “viable“
  • The Greek government has also banned outdoor work in several sectors during the hottest hours
Mitsotakis said the cabinet had discussed plans to make water companies more “viable“
The Greek government has also banned outdoor work in several sectors during the hottest hours

ATHENS: Greece on Wednesday announced plans to “urgently” overhaul its water management as temperatures continued to rise during a week-long heatwave.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the cabinet had discussed plans to make water companies more “viable,” noting that reserves in Athens were down 50 percent compared to three years ago.

There will be additional use of desalination technology and water reuse, the premier’s office said, adding that Greece globally ranked 19th in terms of drought risk.

The National Observatory of Athens recently warned that, following high temperatures and low rainfall in June, almost all of Greece displayed above-normal drought levels for this time of year.

Temperatures continued to rise Wednesday in a heatwave expected to last until Sunday.

Between 40C and 44C are expected on Wednesday in the eastern, central, and northern inland regions, as well as on the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea, according to the meteo.gr website of the Athens National Observatory.

In Athens, the heat reached 36.3C around 1:30 p.m. (1030 GMT). It is expected to rise to 42C on Thursday according to meteo.gr.

To protect visitors and guards, Greek authorities have closed the Acropolis in Athens during the hottest hours of the day, between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 pm, until Friday.

The Greek government has also banned outdoor work in several sectors during the hottest hours to minimize health risks.

“It’s inhumane to work in such conditions. The asphalt is boiling,” Panagiotis Arvanitidis, 35, a member of the food delivery workers’ union in the Thessaloniki region (north), told AFP.

“The ambient temperature in my home over the past two days has exceeded 30C,” said 50-year-old medical saleswoman Anna Spania.

“Without air conditioning, survival is impossible!” she added.

The heatwave’s highest temperatures so far were recorded on Tuesday at Tragana, central Greece, at 44.9C, according to meteo.gr.

A Mediterranean country accustomed to intense summer heatwaves, Greece last year experienced its hottest summer on record.